BFFS at work (part 2)

It's been a while and I totally forgot to write this second part.. LOL... it's ok.. we all have stuff in our mind and as teachers in the middle of a pandemic, our students are obviously our priority... sometimes I forget that making my students my priority doesn't mean I have to let go of what it's important to me... like writing in this blob!
So here is the second part about my BFF's at work .. and the main reason why I started this blog post in the first place. 
My second BFF Ria come to my life a couple of years ago. We had to share a classroom... I was very defensive when she tries to tell me she was going to decorate the room without me (I was at a conference and wasn't going to be in school until the following week)... it was the first time I was getting a classroom too!!! I had been at an office for two years and moving around with a tote bag to all my classes, so this was a big deal for me... I didn't think I was going to like her... 

Well... I am glad I was wrong!!! I LOVE HER!!! Sharing the room with her, seeing her teaching, connecting with students, being 100% vulnerable reminded me that I too had to show my vulnerability and connect with my students. I always tell her that she has been a great influence in my teaching, because building relationships with students is and will always be my top 1 priority but I hadn't realized that being vulnerable needed to be part of the equation too. 

I set really high expectations for my students and that ok... I want them to achieve greatness and I am tough, I want to get them there... but I also need to connect, be flexible, open myself up to them so they can trust me. I hope every teacher out there knows that students perform better when they trust their teacher and when they seek their respect and admiration. When I was student, those teachers who impacted my life more in a positive way, were those who I admired and I trusted. I want to be that kind of teacher, and Ria reminds me of that all the time, not by telling me but by showing me. 

I am very grateful to have her.. she is such an special person and she gets me.. I know she has my back and we are connected in a way far beyond just being coworkers. Not too long ago I had a very sh**** day and I was feeling down, not wanting to do anything and out of nowhere I get a text message saying there is something for me waiting at my door. Ria had sent me cookies for Christmas!! It was something so small, but so meaningful... a token of appreciation that I will never forget... and she made me feel loved in a moment when I wasn't feeling joy in my life. 

I am truly blessed with the people I have in my life, but especially with my two BFFs at work (and in life) that challenge me - in different ways - to be a better person every day.. and support me in every way, even when they have no idea what is going on in my life. 

I hope you all have someone like that in your life too... It really makes a big difference; we all need a support system that is there for us unconditionally.